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The History of~The Cold War (Part 4: Anti-Communist Uprisings)
As we left off from the last page (click here) we covered some of the first conflicts of the Cold War such as the Chinese Civil War and how it raised the stakes of the Cold War (and also created the "Domino Theory"), the Korean War: a conflict that at first went back and forth in a matter of months ended in a stalemate that lasted for 3 years, and the Vietnam War which caused trouble for the USA (at home and on the field). This page will cover the anti-communist protests and uprisings that took place in Eastern Europe. But before we talk about these uprisings, first we need to rehash the talk about the Warsaw Pact. Beginning in November of 1955, and in response to West Germany's admission to NATO, the Warsaw Pact was supposed to be the USSR's answer to NATO as the members would provide each other military aid of any kind if one of those nations were to be invaded by a hostile power. Unlike NATO, however, The Warsaw Pact was more of an obligation as it would also give the USSR more control over its satellite states in Eastern Europe as (more or less) a defense net against the democratic west. But that didn't mean the people of Eastern Europe liked it, or have to like it. Because pretty soon, the Eastern Bloc would begin to express their anger and hatred against the Soviets. This became more apparent after Stalin died on March 5, 1953. Soon after Stalin's death, a fierce power struggle ensued but for a brief period of time, Lavrentiy Beria (a strong Stalin Supporter and the leader of the Soviet Secret Police) held power over the USSR, but this would end when a group of communist hardliners (led by Nikita Khruschev) overthrew Beria, and Khruschev seized power. As Khruschev became the new premier of the USSR, he ordered for several significant reforms, one of them included "De-Stalinization" which is to denounce everything that Stalin created, that meant a lot of Stalin's policies became null and void, the gulags closing and even statues and portraits of Stalin being taken down. His aim was to also try to thaw the "cold" relations the USSR had with the west and improve its relations. But, Khruschev was in a lot of ways a Stalin supporter himself (just not to the extent of Beria), so he retains some of Stalin's oppressive policies. Nevertheless, this encouraged people living in the Eastern Bloc to develop a sense of resentment towards the USSR as well as the ability to rise against it. East German Uprising In the Spring of 1953, a rise of protests in East Berlin (which began as a labor strike turned into a full-fledged Uprising in June. Active fighting began on June 16 and lasted for just one day. Though, it would end with the uprising being crushed in Berlin (with around 150 protesters dead with the loss of only 5 East German Police). Resentment for the East German communist government as many as 500 smaller towns in East Germany would also try to rise against the communist government. Poznan Protests Now, it's 1956 and in Poland. Like in East Germany 3 years ago. Polish workers were beginning to complain about the labor conditions in their country as well as the communist government the USSR put in place. Much like in East Germany 3 years ago, this labor strike would turn into a full-fledged uprising. Again, like in East Germany, the Polish Uprising would last for only a day, and eventually, the protesters would lose (with around 550 protesters dead with the loss of only 8 soldiers). But, some justice was done in this particular uprising as it led to some reforms in the puppet government. Hungarian Uprising Forward: This is a short and oversimplified version of the event. If you want to learn about the event in more detail. Just click here. Later in 1956, and after doing "revolving doors" with their puppet leaders (as Stalinist Matyas Rakosi was replaced by Andras Hegedus as a part of Khruschev's "De-Stalinization" policy). Hungarians who are now fed up with the communist policies (especially the use of the secret police to put down political opposition) so in June a student protest in Budapest rose as they marched through the Hungarian capital city waving Hungarian Flags (with the communist emblem in the middle cut out). This would turn into (again) an all-out uprising against the puppet government. For several months, the Hungarian rebels fought a ferocious battle against the Soviet Military. They would also take down statues of Lenin and Stalin, release political prisoners, and even oust the puppet government and Hegedus from power. Thus this allowed Hungary to establish a more democratic government with Imre Nagy as the Prime Minister. As his first actions as Prime Minister, Nagy would enact free elections, and end the use of the secret police. He even announced in a radio broadcast that Hungary would officially withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. Though at first, the Soviet Politburo was agreeable to this, Khruschev would spoil the fun by denying Hungary their request. Thus, making Hungary neutral to the West. The USSR would respond with military force as waves of Soviet forces and tanks would make their way into Hungary, and on October 4, the Soviets would enter Budapest. Nagy even tried to plea to the UN to aid Hungary in the revolution. But the UN refuses as to not risk an all-out conflict with the Soviets. After around another week of fighting, the Soviets would overwhelm and defeat the Hungarian rebels, re-establish the communist puppet government under Janos Kadar, and executed some rebels (including Nagy). Though, Hungary's form of justice came in the form of a new flag (without the communist emblem in the middle). It would be another 12 years before the Soviet influence in Eastern Europe would be challenged, and this time it would be in Czechoslovakia (modern-day Czech Republic and Slovakia). Prague Spring Prague Spring (well, it began in the winter) began on January 5, 1968, when Alexander Dubcek (a political reformist) was elected First Secretary of Czechoslovakia's communist puppet government. Dubcek's actions were to increase rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia and "de-centralize" the economy of the nation. Trying to reform the government and make it more democratic. Of course, the Soviets were none too pleased about this, and after trying and failing to negotiate with Dubcek. The USSR, as well as other Warsaw Pact members, invaded the nation. Unlike the other uprisings, however, fighting was sporadic and the Czech people just defied the law and disobeyed laws such as curfew, and this would continue to happen for at least 7 months until on August 21. The Soviets and other WP put down this rebellion. Dubcek was replaced by Gustav Husak. Since then, Czechoslovakia began a stage of "normalization". So, at least for now in this series, the USSR has a good grip on the Eastern Bloc. But you'll find out later in this series that grip will soon loosen. Coming up, the USA and the USSR will now compete in a race to see who will reach the furthest in outer space. Click here to continue reading. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.